Dave Whelan names his price for Victor Moses

We've heard confirmation from both Wigan and Chelsea that the clubs have been talking about a Victor Moses move, and Dave Whelan had some very frank comments for us today that should lend even more clarity to the situation. Here's the highlights of what he had to say:

I shall be finding out today whether Chelsea will pay cash because we are not interested in picking up one of their players on loan or in part exchange. They know the price for Moses, we are looking to reach £10 million if that means £8 million cash and some add-ons, that fine, as the lad knows that we want him to stay but that we won't stand in his way either.

I don't like standing in the way of a young player who can make the jump to one of Europe's great clubs and play well for them, I would just wish him all the best, but really we don't want him to go, he will be worth £15 million or £20 million after a few months with a club like Chelsea. He has a year left on his contract, we have offered him a new one, but we can understand why he would want to play for Chelsea, although I must say there are other clubs sniffing around too.

From the sounds of it, I'd guess we're getting a little closer to a deal. Whelan specifically mentions expecting to know today if we'll meet their demands, and frankly they aren't all that unreasonable. It also seems to suggest that we've been trying to lower the price a bit by offering to loan Wigan some talent (or possibly send them an unwanted player). It would also appear that Wigan would like this situation resolved as soon as possible, as he hints at other suitors should Chelsea refuse to pay. I guess we'll have to watch for more on this in the next few days, as it's starting to sound pretty close to a conclusion one way or another. We'll keep our eyes open and let you know what we are seeing.